Thank you for joining me on this journey. It's never been easy, and I don't ever expect it to be. There may be times when you don't agree with me, and that's OK. Never be afraid to share your feelings with me, that's what I'm here for and what has kept me going. I'm not a licensed professional, but I have more than 20 years experience with mental illness.
You can find our podcast, Voices for Change 2.0 at
www.blogtalkradio.com/leftofstr8

Sunday, May 6, 2018

1)How old were you when you began to experience
symptoms of mental illness?

I believe that I was in elementary school when symptoms
first came forward. I was an extreme perfectionist, often having enormous
tantrums if one little hair on my head did not sit right or I received a 98% on
a test instead of a 99%. I also began going through cycles of “ticks” and
phobias. I went through phases of social awkwardness as well. By the time I was
13 it was apparent that I had episodes of depression which is when I was misdiagnosed.

2)Did you have support and seek treatment
immediately? If not, why?

My grandmother worked in the mental health
field and my family on both sides have dealt with various mental health issues
so I did have a support system in place and was given treatment (for the wrong
disorder) when things became severe enough. Unfortunately the antidepressants
caused a long, drawn out mania that wasn’t understood and discovered until
about 16-18. At 18, after being medicine free for about 2 years and still acting
unusually, I was finally diagnosed correctly and was supported moving forward
although I do believe that if there had been more willingness to discuss
personal mental illness/struggles, I could have received better guidance and
care.

3)What would you tell your younger self knowing
what you know now about mental illness?

I would tell myself that the best I can do
for myself is to shed the shame and embarrassment I feel and instead own the
illness for its role in my life. Acceptance is crucial to moving forward toward
a better, more positive self.

4)What do you think are the biggest misconceptions
those with mental illness have to face?

I get frustrated when I hear people using
“mental illness” incorrectly to describe individuals who are struggling with their
mental health. I believe that referring to a healthy state of mind as “mental
health” but a chemical imbalance in the brain as “mental illness” is misleading
and offers the misconception that our minds should only be treated with care if
it is diseased. I think that a better term to describe mental illness would be
“mental disease” because there is an extreme difference between someone with
bipolar disorder (the disease) and someone who is having a difficult time
mentally due to extreme stress in their life (temporarily ill). I came across
this misconception multiple times in the recent reporting surrounding mass
shootings, but I see this regularly on a daily basis where people without the
chemical imbalance ignore their mental wellbeing in general.

5)How do you feel about the stigma surrounding
mental illness? Do you feel we’ve taken positive steps? In your opinion, what
needs to be done in the future?

I believe that where this is a lack of education and
understanding, there will always be a certain degree of stigma. I do believe
that it is getting better though because I am able to see each day a number of
new voices being raised to share their realities living with mental illness. It
is a very daunting task to stand up to stigma because despite all of the good
and progress made, there will be some pushback and negativity. This is what
makes advocacy such a brave act.

I do think that we within the mental illness community need
to do a better job of eradicating stigma amongst our peers. We all lose when we
begin to compare each other to one another. Mental illness comes in all forms,
shapes, sizes, etc. and the experience of it is relative to the individual.
Embracing our differences in favor of support of one another is so important.

6)What do you do to get through the bad days?

I always looked for a magic routine to use during my bad
days. I was convinced that this routine would save me from wasted hours lying
in bed. It turns out my bad days vary in intensity and form and that there is
no one-fits-all routine. So now I just let myself have them. Sometimes this
means staying in bed all day, sometimes it means calling off work. Other days
it means refraining from any social activity while others I need to be around
people. I have learned to stop fighting the bad day and let my body and mind
recover in whatever way is best in that moment.

7)Do you have any projects that you’re working on
that could benefit the mental health community?

I work as the Social Media & Program Coordinator at
International Bipolar Foundation. In some ways my whole life has become finding
new ways to help the mental health community. Some of the topics I am
passionate about and work on at IBPF include: inclusivity from the mental
health community in our blogs, webinars, etc, men’s mental health, criminal
justice & prison mental health reform, veteran mental health reform, and
minority mental health. It is amazing to see some of these topics slowly
working their way through our organization to make lasting change. My work here
has also inspired me to taking more responsibility in the role of being an
advocate in my personal life.

8)Please give us
some of your social media screen names in case someone wants to get a hold of
you.

About Me

I have been happily married to the man of my dreams for 15 years. We have 5 cats that we adore, and a little house that we are renovating. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at 19. It has been a constant struggle in my life, and has caused a great deal of turmoil.

Despite my illness, my husband has stayed by my side and I have learned to grow from my challenges. I am now a published author and my book is available on Amazon!